In the standard Landau-Zener-St"uckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) problem, the bias sweep rate and gap are both time independent and fully characterize the LZSM problem. We consider the nonlinear LZSM problem, in which at least one of the two characteristic parameters varies as the system traverses the avoided-crossing region. This situation results in what could be thought of as a more accurate description of any realistic situation as compared with the idealized linear LZSM problem. We consider both the case of perturbative nonlinearities, where the nonlinearity adds small corrections to the linear problem, and the case of essential nonlinearities, where the sweep and/or minimum-gap functions are qualitatively different from those of the linear LZSM problem. In the case of perturbative nonlinearities, we derive analytic expressions for the LZSM transition probability based on the Dykhne-Davis-Pechukas (DDP) formula, taking into account the leading corrections to the standard LZSM formula. We compare the derived approximate expressions with numerical simulation results and comment on the validity of the approximations. In particular, if the nonlinear term is small in comparison to the linear term throughout the finite duration of the avoided crossing traversal, the perturbative approximation is valid. Our results also provide information about the validity of the DDP formula. In addition to reviewing cases of essential nonlinearity treated previously in the literature, we analyze the case of an essentially nonlinear sweep function that describes an almost square pulse.
We examine the effect of nonlinearity at a level crossing on the probability for nonadiabatic transitions P. By using the Dykhne-Davis-Pechukas formula, we derive simple analytic estimates for P for two types of nonlinear crossings. In the first type, the nonlinearity in the detuning appears as a perturbative correction to the dominant linear time dependence. Then appreciable deviations from the Landau-Zener probability
PLZ are found to appear for large couplings only, when P is small; this explains why the Landau-Zener model is often seen to provide more accurate results than expected. In the second type of nonlinearity, called essential nonlinearity, the detuning is proportional to an odd power of time. Then the nonadiabatic probability P is qualitatively and quantitatively different from
PLZ because, on the one hand, it vanishes in an oscillatory manner as the coupling increases, and, on the other, it is much larger than
PLZ. We suggest experimental situations where the predicted deviations can be observed.
The approach by Ettore Majorana for non-adiabatic transitions between two quasi-crossing levels is revisited and significantly extended. We rederive the transition probability, known as the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana formula, and introduce Majorana's approach to modern readers. This result, typically referred as the Landau-Zener formula, was published by Majorana before Landau, Zener and Stückelberg. Moreover, we go well beyond previous results and we now obtain the full wave function, including its phase, which is important nowadays for quantum control and quantum information. The asymptotic wave function correctly describes the dynamics away from the avoided-level crossing, while it has limited accuracy in that region.
We study nonlinear Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) tunneling with a
PT-symmetric potential, which can be converted to a non-Hermitian nonlinear two-level model by a two-mode approximation. Then, we construct an equivalent Hermitian model through a transformation, verify that the tunneling probabilities obtained by the two models are consistent, and comprehensively analyze the effect of the gain-dissipation term on tunneling. In addition, due to the gain-dissipation properties, the total population density of the non-Hermitian model is no longer a conserved quantity, which will increase or decay to a fixed value as the model evolves. Finally, we prove that the spatial inversion symmetry breaking of the Hamiltonian leads to nonreciprocal tunneling, and the numerical simulation results confirm our analysis. These studies provide alternative ideas to study the nonlinear dynamics of non-Hermitian systems in the future.
We study the Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg (LZS) effect for a two-level system with a time-dependent nonlinear bias field (the sweep function)
W(t). Our main concern is to investigate the influence of the nonlinearity of
W(t) on the probability P to remain in the initial state. The dimensionless quantity $\ensuremath{\varepsilon}=\ensuremath{\pi}{\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{2}/(2\ensuremath{\Elzxh}v)$ depends on the coupling $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ of both levels and on the sweep rate
v. For fast sweep rates, i.e., \ensuremath{\varepsilon}\ensuremath{\ll}1, and monotonic, analytic sweep functions linearizable in the vicinity of the resonance we find the transition probability $1\ensuremath{-}P\ensuremath{\cong}\ensuremath{\varepsilon}(1+a),$ where
a>0 is the correction to the LSZ result due to the nonlinearity of the sweep. Further increase of the sweep rate with nonlinearity fixed brings the system into the nonlinear-sweep regime characterized by $1\ensuremath{-}P\ensuremath{\cong}{\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ with \ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\ne}1, depending on the type of sweep function. In the case of slow sweep rates, i.e., \ensuremath{\varepsilon}\ensuremath{\gg}1, an interesting interference phenomenon occurs. For analytic
W(t) the probability ${P=P}_{0}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\eta}}$ is determined by the singularities of $\sqrt{{\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{2}{+W}^{2}(t)}$ in the upper complex plane of t. If
W(t) is close to linear, there is only one singularity, which leads to the LZS result ${P=e}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}$ with important corrections to the exponent due to nonlinearity. However, for, e.g., $W(t)\ensuremath{\propto}{t}^{3}$ there is a pair of singularities in the upper complex plane. Interference of their contributions leads to oscillations of the prefactor
P0 that depends on the sweep rate through \ensuremath{\varepsilon} and turns to zero at some \ensuremath{\varepsilon}. Measurements of the oscillation period and of the exponential factor would allow one to determine \ensuremath{\Delta}, independently.
We investigate Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) interferometry in a nonlinear two-level system subjected to a sinusoidal driving field. A comprehensive analysis for the interference patterns is shown from which we can analytically obtain the condition of constructive and destructive interferences in some cases. In the presence of nonlinear interaction, the level structure is changed, which can lead to an asymmetric deformation of the interference patterns and a significant position shift of the interference fringes. Our findings suggest an application of the nonlinear LZSM interferometry in accurately calibrating the parameters characterizing a nonlinear two-level system, as well as its coupling with the driven fields.